Intrinsic safety
Fachmann/Sectors/Oil & Gas
Sector / Oil & Gas

Keep every loop safe,
from wellhead to DCS.

IEC 60079-11IEC 60079-14IEC 61511EN 50156-1IEC 62305IEC 61643-11

An oilfield or process plant concentrates three risks in the same square meter: explosive atmosphere around wells, separators and skids; furnaces and heaters burning gas continuously; and metal structures exposed to lightning. Fachmann integrates intrinsic safety, SIL functional safety, safe combustion management and lightning and surge protection under a single technical interlocutor, aligned to IEC 60079, IEC 61511, EN 50156-1 and IEC 62305.

Typical applications

Applications
in Oil & Gas.

Field in classified zones · Furnaces and heaters · Tank and panel protection · Pipelines with cathodic protection

Process piping and instrumentation in a hazardous area
01
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Instrumentation in classified zones

The problem

Pressure, flow and temperature transmitters installed in Zone 0 and Zone 1, on wellheads, separators and metering skids. If the loop carries more energy to the field than the zone allows, a wiring fault is enough for ignition. A Zener barrier depends on a dedicated intrinsic-safety earth: if that earth degrades, the protection disappears without anyone noticing.

The Fachmann solution
GMIbackbone

D5000 IS barriers with galvanic isolation: they limit energy to the field without relying on the IS earth, pass HART and fit 1 or 2 channels in 12.5 mm. ATEX, IECEx, UL, FM and TÜV certified, up to SIL 3, for Zone 0, 1 and 2. With SIL 3, they integrate into SIS loops. D1000 IS barriers, pluggable and DIP-switch configurable, are replaced without disconnecting wiring. The GMI HART multiplexer (SIL 3) brings diagnostics from up to 256 transmitters to the system without modifying the DCS architecture. The GMI field indicator gives local reading in Zone 0, powered by the 4-20 mA loop itself, with under 1 V drop and IP66.

Featured families
  • GMI D5000 IS barriers
  • GMI D1000 IS barriers
  • GMI HART multiplexers
  • GMI field indicators
Standards
IEC 60079-11IEC 61511IEC 61508
Burners firing inside a refractory-lined process heater
02
02 / 04

Burner management in furnaces and heaters

The problem

Process furnaces, heaters and boilers in refineries and treatment plants burn gas continuously. The risk lies in start-up and flame loss: if fuel enters an unpurged chamber or one with the flame out, re-ignition ends in explosion. The sequence is usually solved with hard-wired relay logic or a standard PLC, which is hard to validate, and every change requires rewiring.

The Fachmann solution
PILZbackbone

PNOZmulti 2 Burner: base module of the configurable PNOZmulti 2 system with Burner licence. It integrates safe burner management into the same safety controller, with no dedicated hard-wired logic. Configured with PNOZmulti Configurator, so a sequence change is solved in software, not in the panel. 24 Vdc supply.

GMIdifferentiator

D5000 IS barriers for burner signals in classified zones: gas pressure and temperature transmitters, up to SIL 3, ATEX/IECEx certified for Zone 0, 1 and 2. They allow intrinsically safe field instrumentation without changing the PNOZmulti logic.

Featured families
  • PILZ PNOZmulti 2 Burner
  • GMI D5000 IS barriers
Standards
EN 50156-1IEC 60079-11
Hydrocarbon storage tanks with air-termination rods during a thunderstorm
03
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Lightning protection for tanks and panels

The problem

Tanks, wellheads and towers are the highest, most metallic points on the field. A direct or induced strike enters through power and signal cables and ends up in the panel and instrumentation barriers. A Type 2 arrester cannot withstand lightning current (10/350 µs wave), and a panel arrester does not protect the loop coming in from the field.

The Fachmann solution
OBO BETTERMANNbackbone

V50 and MCF Type 1+2 arresters at the incoming panel: lightning current up to 100 kA (10/350 µs) per IEC 61643, with remote signalling on FS versions to monitor status from the control room.

GMIdifferentiator

Descargadores para instrumentación D9000: protegen los lazos AI/AO/DI/DO de 24 Vdc y las barreras IS contra sobretensiones inducidas. SIL 3, ATEX/IECEx, en versión de riel DIN de 6 mm o de montaje en campo con rosca 1/2″ NPT, para proteger el lazo en los dos extremos.

Featured families
  • OBO BETTERMANN V50 / MCF Type 1+2 arresters
  • GMI D9000 instrumentation arresters
Standards
IEC 62305IEC 61643-11IEC 60079-14
Piping with insulating flanges and isolating spark gaps connected to an earthing bar
04
04 / 04

Pipelines and insulating flanges with cathodic protection

The problem

Gas pipelines, oil pipelines and flowlines with cathodic protection use insulating flanges and joints to separate the protected section from the rest of the installation. A lightning strike or electrical fault creates a potential difference across the flange, and the arc that jumps over it, right in the classified zone, is an ignition source. Bonding both sides with a conductor eliminates the arc but defeats the cathodic protection.

The Fachmann solution
OBO BETTERMANNbackbone

EX ISG isolating spark gap: indirectly bridges insulating flanges and isolated parts. In normal operation it keeps both sections separated and cathodic protection keeps working; under a surge it conducts in a controlled way and prevents uncontrolled arcing over the flange. ATEX and IECEx certified for classified areas, tested with 100 kA lightning current per IEC 62561-3, with wear-free graphite electrodes, from -20 to +60 °C. Supplied with tested connection accessories and cable versions.

Featured families
  • OBO BETTERMANN EX ISG isolating spark gaps
Standards
IEC 62561-3IEC 60079-14IEC 62305
Reference regulatory framework

Referenced
standards.

The safety design rests on the international ISO/IEC framework, which in Argentina is articulated with Law 19.587 on Occupational Health and Safety (Decree 351/79) and with AEA 90079 Regulation for explosive atmospheres.

IEC 60079-11
Protección del equipo por seguridad intrínseca “i” en atmósferas explosivas.
IEC 60079-14
Design, selection and erection of electrical installations in explosive atmospheres.
IEC 61508
Functional safety of electrical, electronic and programmable systems (SIL).
IEC 61511
Functional safety of safety instrumented systems for the process industry (SIS).
EN 50156-1
Electrical equipment for furnaces and burners: design and installation requirements.
IEC 62305
Lightning protection: risk assessment, structures and installations.
IEC 62561-3
Lightning protection components: requirements for isolating spark gaps.
IEC 61643-11
Low-voltage surge protective devices: requirements and tests (Type 1, 2 and 3).

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